


Ransoming... Myself?

by Emachinescat



Series: Sesquipedalian [20]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-11
Updated: 2011-01-11
Packaged: 2018-01-14 06:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1256071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emachinescat/pseuds/Emachinescat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>ruse, n.<br/>(rooz)<br/>A clever trick, plan, or maneuver</p><p>Merlin needs Arthur to know about Morgana's betrayal, but is afraid Arthur won't believe him, so he cooks up a plan. How far will go to make Arthur see? Kidnapping himself seems like a good start...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ransoming... Myself?

**Author's Note:**

> For entertainment purposes only, I don't own.
> 
> Enjoy :)

"This is a foolish idea, Merlin."

Merlin glanced at Gaius from where he was standing by the door, about to leave. He had followed Morgana the night before and, despite having nearly lost her a couple of times and only hearing the tail end of the conversation, knew that she and Morgause were plotting something, something that they were going to meet about again tonight. They were planning to meet at moon-high, and he even knew their meeting spot: the Hand of the Gods, a large, amazingly hand-like tree that grew in the middle of a clearing about an hour and a half into the Darkling Woods. It had a thick, straight trunk with five branches sprouting out of it in a way that made them look like outstretched fingers reaching for the heavens. Not everyone knew about it, but most of the knights did, although they mostly steered clear of the place because it had an eerie, almost haunted feel to it. It was the perfect opportunity, and despite the fact that it would uproot Arthur's life as he knew it, Merlin feared that it had become necessary.

Arthur needed to know about Morgana's treachery. He and his father had nearly died several times at her hand, and although Merlin couldn't outright  _tell_  Arthur that she was plotting against him, the prince needed to know nonetheless. So upon finding out about the upcoming meeting between Morgause and Morgana, he had come up with what he thought was quite an ingenious plan, but that Gaius had been persistently poking holes in since Merlin had relayed his plan over breakfast. Still, Merlin was not to be dissuaded, and he shook his head even as Gaius tried to convince him to forget the whole thing once more.

"No, Gaius. He  _needs_  to know. It'll be hard for him, but Arthur needs to be aware of the kind of danger that Camelot is in, that he is in… He needs to be able to be on the lookout, too, because even though I'm able to protect him most of the time from Morgana, what if something happens, and I'm not able to get to him in time? Let's just hope that Arthur is going to act predictably; I'm pretty sure he'll follow the instructions, but since it's me, and not Gwen, he might not worry about it."

Gaius gave Merlin a withering look. "Please, Merlin. You know that Arthur cares for you. He has put his life on the line many times to save yours. If you do this, he will come. But it is dangerous, my boy. If just one thing goes wrong…"

"It won't," Merlin said. "Stop worrying, Gaius."

And with that, he turned and left the physician's chambers, ready to set the wheels of his plan into motion.

* * *

It was nearing sundown when Arthur finally was able to return to his chambers. There had been a council meeting, and all that they had discussed were taxes, agriculture, and a small outbreak of sneezing in the lower town. Somehow, though, the meeting had managed to drag on for nearly two hours, and Arthur was frustrated and exhausted. The greatest cause of his irritation, however, was his servant, who had not brought Arthur his dinner, had not come to get him ready for the meeting, and who had apparently decided to skip out on the meeting as well, despite the fact that Arthur required him to be there (not necessarily because he needed him there, but so that Arthur wouldn't have to be the only one bored out of his mind). He had sent someone looking for for his wayward servant before the meeting, but they had come back shortly and said that he wasn't in any of his usual haunts. Needless to say, Arthur hadn't been happy.

He was even  _less_  happy when he came back to a room that hadn't been touched while he'd been in the meeting, with armor in the corner that  _still_  needed polishing, and  _still_ no late, cold dinner on the table. Merlin had apparently not been in at all in the two hours that Arthur had been in the meeting. A small twinge of unease wormed its way into Arthur's mind, but he dispelled it, telling himself that Merlin was probably at the tavern, where he seemed to spend most of his time these days.

Arthur went farther into his room, fuming about his servant's incompetence, and that's when he saw it: On top of his bed covers, folded neatly, was Merlin's neckerchief. Arthur scoffed, striding forward to inspect the stupid garment and already preparing a lecture for Merlin about leaving his clothes in Arthur's room. On top of the neckerchief was a piece of parchment, folded several times. Written on the front in a scrawling hand that Arthur didn't recognize was, "Prince Arthur."

The niggling sensation that something wasn't quite right was back with a vengeance, but Arthur tried to tell himself that Merlin had probably left a note full of excuses as to why he'd failed to show up to work this afternoon. Why he'd leave his neckerchief as well, Arthur didn't know, but the scrap of cloth really didn't sit well with him for some reason.

With hands that were most certainly  _not_  trembling slightly, Arthur unfolded the note and read its contents. His stomach churned and anger made him see red as he read:

_Prince Arthur,_

_I have your servant. He's unharmed, for now, but will not stay that way unless you meet me at the Hand of the Gods at moon-high tonight. Come alone. We will discuss the terms for getting your servant back upon your arrival. Come to the edge of the clearing and wait until I call you forth. If you are not there, Merlin will die._

_See you soon._

The nagging worry grew into full-blown fear for his servant (although he would deny feeling even the slightest bit of concern for his servant later), and he vowed then and there that whoever had taken Merlin would pay severely.

He didn't even think about not going, even though he knew his father wouldn't approve. He didn't inform his father of what had happened, and slipped out of the castle and to the stables. Within the hour, he was well on his way to the Hand of the Gods, prepared to do anything to rescue that trouble-attracting servant of his.

Whoever took Merlin would have  _hell_  to pay.

* * *

When he got to the clearing, Arthur did as the note had said, staying hidden behind the trees and the fringe of the forest. He needed to get a good look at the situation first, anyway.

He fully expected to see some bandits or a sorcerer standing over an unconscious or bound Merlin, demanding that Arthur follow his instructions if he didn't want Merlin to die. Instead, he saw... Morgana.

Frowning, Arthur wondered if maybe the kidnapper had contacted his father's ward, as well, and he was about to call out to her when something shifted in the air. It wasn't anything palpable, and Arthur really didn't know what had changed. There seemed to be a chill in the air that wasn't there before, and a sense of utter  _wrongness_  invaded his being. Arthur stayed his tongue, opting to wait a little bit longer to see what Morgana would do. Any sign of danger to her, though, and Arthur would be out in the clearing, protecting her.

And Arthur still didn't see Merlin anywhere.

Only moments after the odd feeling settled over Arthur, a figure emerged from the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. It was obviously female, but other than that, Arthur couldn't tell anything about the stranger, for she wore a dark cloak, and the cowl shadowed most of her face. Arthur tensed where he hid, still trying to figure out why Morgana was here and what this mysterious kidnapper had done with Merlin. From the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach at the woman's sudden appearance, Arthur decided that this probably was  _not_  an ally and more than likely had something - or everything - to do with Merlin's kidnapping. Arthur's hand automatically found the hilt of his sword in a wave of anger, but he held back. Still, he remained ready to jump to the rescue if he saw Merlin, or if Morgana appeared to be in any immediate danger from the newcomer.

To his surprise, Morgana hurried to the mystery woman's side and embraced her, a genuine smile lighting up her pretty face. "Sister," she said. "Thank you for meeting me again. I know it's soon, since we just met yesterday, but we were not able to discuss everything. If only I hadn't had to be back in Camelot by sunrise, we would have had more time. I hope it won't be dangerous for you, coming two nights in a row."

Arthur's mind whirled.  _Sister?_ He didn't know what was going on, but he thought that if Morgana had a sister, he would know about it. Then he was reminded of how Morgana had been more reserved than usual since she had been rescued, and he wondered if he would.

Finally, the woman pulled her hood back, shocking Arthur to no end.

Morgause.

The woman who had taken Morgana away, the one who they had rescued Morgana from, she was meeting with Morgana in the middle of the Darkling Woods, and Morgana was  _happy_ to see her? Feeling sick and forcing himself not to go charging into the clearing just yet, Arthur wondered if Morgana had been brainwashed or enchanted. As much as he resented the idea of Morgana being enchanted, Arthur hoped that it was the case, because the alternative was too painful to contemplate. Unfortunately, though, Arthur had a bad feeling that the alternative was actually the case, because even if Morgana had been enchanted or brainwashed, surely she wouldn't look  _that_  at ease and happy. And if Morgause really was her sister…? Arthur didn't want to think about it.

They were talking again, and Arthur strained to listen; their voices were soft, but a slight breeze seemingly from nowhere carried them to his ears. He was appalled at what he heard.

"Have you any news from Cenred?" Morgana asked.

"Yes. He will have men prepared to attack whenever we have decided the best means to get to Arthur," Morgause smiled, and Arthur's heart twisted grotesquely at the look of excitement on Morgana's face.

"Hopefully an opportunity will come soon," said Morgana earnestly. "I  _need_  Arthur out of the way. I want him dead." Arthur's world shattered into a million pieces, but he forced himself to continue listening and not have some kind of breakdown on the spot. This couldn't be happening!

"I know, Sister. But the path to the throne will not be a simple one. You must be prepared to wait. We will strike when the time is right."

Morgana nodded curtly, her lips pressed together in an unhappy line. "All the same," she said, "the longer he lives, the more I fear that our goals will never be realized."

"We are lucky that he remains oblivious to our plight, though, Morgana. Don't forget that."

"But Merlin's not," Morgana countered, her eyes burning with an angry fire that nearly made Arthur's already pounding heart stop all together. The enmity in her voice was beyond hatred; it was loathing. What had  _Mer_ lin done to cause such intense distaste in his father's ward, disturbed as she apparently was? Arthur seethed in anger, knowing that Morgana and Morgause had probably kidnapped Merlin. Arthur shifted slightly, trying to see around the supposed sisters, wondering if he had somehow missed Merlin in the clearing earlier. Maybe he was hidden on the other side of the Hand of the Gods, but Arthur had circled the clearing upon first arriving, and he hadn't seen anyone, least of all his missing manservant. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Morgause. We cannot seem to rid ourselves of him, and he knows about our treachery. Previous attempts to kill him have ended in defeat, and it is only a matter of time before he goes to Arthur, consequences be damned. They're too close, and Merlin has made it clear that he would do anything to keep Arthur safe. If he remains alive and well, you know he will try to find a way to thwart whatever plans we have for Camelot. We need to get rid of him permanently."

Morgause kept quiet during this speech, a thoughtful look on her lean face. "Yes, Morgana, we must do something about this serving boy who thinks he's a knight. But if he is as close to Prince Arthur as you say, we will have to be subtle about his disappearance. Make it look like an accident. And that, too, will take time to plan and execute."

"I know," Morgana said stiffly, hatred boiling in her eyes. "But I want him dead. Even more than Arthur, I want that traitor Merlin to suffer!"

Morgause put a gentle hand on Morgana's shoulder in a comforting manner, as if they were discussing something mundane like the taxes going up or crops being low, not the torture and murder of Arthur's servant and friend. Arthur was sick as he reflected on what had been revealed. Not only was Morgana working with Morgause to kill Arthur and his father and take over Camelot, but they desperately wanted Merlin dead, and not only dead, but to suffer beforehand. And apparently they'd tried to kill him before? Arthur wondered when this could have happened, fury washing over him anew at the thought of Merlin at the mercy of the murderous pair before him. He was brought back suddenly to the time that Merlin had been missing for quite some time, right before the undead army attacked the citadel, and recalled how when Arthur had asked where Merlin had been, he'd responded, "I was dying." Could that have been…? Arthur shook his head; now was not the time to dwell on these things.

Morgana and Morgause had taken Merlin and -

Arthur frowned. If they already had Merlin, why would they be meeting to plot his demise? It didn't make sense, and Arthur realized that something wasn't quite right here - besides the obvious, that his father's ward and his friend was allied with a witch who wanted to see Camelot fall and Merlin dead.

The two talked for quite a while, but it was mostly small talk ("How have you been sleeping, Morgana?" "Very well, Morgause, thanks to the healing bracelet. It is a treasured gift." "I am glad you are able to use it, Sister."), and when they parted about half an hour later, Arthur still hadn't seen hide or hair of his captured idiot.

Mind still trying to grasp everything he had learned, and a numb, horrible shock settling over his body, Arthur waited until he was sure that both women were gone before he turned to leave, not sure what to do next, about Merlin, about Morgana, about… anything. Surprisingly, though (and Arthur later said that it was because of the shock, and not because of any real sense of worry), Merlin was foremost on his mind. Where in the whole bloody kingdom was-

"Merlin!" he sputtered, having turned around to see the bloody imbecile standing right in front of him, unharmed. There was a nervous, almost mournful look in his eyes, and Arthur narrowed his eyes at this new development. He thought about clapping Merlin on the shoulder in relief (in fact, he almost did), but he restrained, and opted to glare at his servant with barely contained relief instead.

"Arthur," Merlin said, and his voice was somewhat hoarse.

"How did you escape?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "What happened?"

Merlin blinked. "Oh," he said. "That."

Arthur's glare became increasingly suspicious. "Yes,  _Mer_ lin.  _That._ "

"Oh," said Merlin again, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, you see-"

"You weren't actually kidnapped, were you, Merlin?" Arthur asked dryly, irritation quickly overcoming any other emotion that might be vying him for attention at the moment.

"Oh," Merlin said a third time, "um, no. Not really."

Arthur resisted the urge to throttle his servant. "Did you write that note?" he asked angrily, but he kept his voice relatively even, knowing that that would probably make the servant more nervous.

Merlin just nodded, looking quite ill at ease, which pleased Arthur greatly. "Mm-hm."

Arthur fought not to explode on the spot. "Why the hell did you do that, Merlin? You had me running through the bloody forest in the little hours of the morning, chasing some useless servant who decided it would be good fun, a good laugh to  _kidnap himself_."

Merlin frowned thoughtfully, and even had the mind to look a bit embarrassed, as if he had just realized how silly that sounded. He quickly covered it up with a smile and a, "Did I worry you, Sire?"

Arthur seethed. "Oh, no, Merlin. I was actually just coming to make sure that whoever had you was going to keep you forever."

Merlin winced. Arthur knew that he was well aware of how much of an utter lie Arthur's words were, but they still had to sting. Good. Idiot deserved it for scaring Arthur. Not that Arthur would  _ever_  admit it, but he had been scared. The thought of anyone harming Merlin, who had somehow wriggled his way into Arthur's heart as a dear friend (although, again, Arthur would die painfully and cruelly before he ever admitted anything of the sort), had terrified the prince. He had been prepared to do whatever he had to to rescue him from his captors. If only Arthur had realized that Merlin's captor was Merlin, he wouldn't have had to go on this stupid wild idiot chase. But if he hadn't, Morgana's treachery would still be unknown to him, and he wouldn't know how much his servant had actually done for him.

The thought of Morgana and Morgause trying to kill Merlin and nearly succeeding, and their subsequent plans to do away with the man once and for all made any abating anger return at full force, though this time, it wasn't all specifically aimed toward Merlin. Merlin just happened to be the only one present to feel Arthur's wrath.

"You did this so I'd see Morgana with Morgause, didn't you?" Arthur said in a strained voice. He was trying his hardest not to yell. "You didn't think that you could just  _come_  to me about this?"

"Would you have listened?" Merlin shot back. "No, you would've called me an idiot and threatened to put me in the stocks if I spoke such treason again." His voice softened. "I know you, Arthur. Morgana is like your family. You wouldn't have believed it, wouldn't have wanted to believe it."

"I still don't," Arthur said heavily, the fight draining out of his voice.

"I know," Merlin responded, eyes sad.

"How long have you known?"

"Since the undead army." Ah-ha! So Arthur had been right. "I followed Morgana, and she and Morgause trapped me and almost killed me."

"How?"

Merlin's ears turned red. "I guess I wasn't as good at sneaking around as I thought."

Arthur snorted. "Not that, you idiot. How did they almost kill you?"

"It doesn't matter-"

" _Merlin_."

Merlin sighed. "Serkets. They left me chained up in the middle of a Serket nest."

Arthur sucked in a deep breath, aghast. "How did you survive?"

Merlin smiled gravely. "Gaius had the antidote on hand, thankfully."

"I threw things at you when you came back."

Merlin smirked. "No different than normal."

"I said I wouldn't've minded if you'd died."

Merlin sighed, sensing Arthur's guilt. "You didn't know."

"You told me."

"Since when have you  _ever_  listened to me?" Merlin asked, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, if you wouldn't speak such nonsense most of the time, maybe I'd listen more," Arthur said waspishly, falling back easily on their usual banter as a stronghold as the whirring emotions began to try and overtake him.

"Prat," Merlin snapped good-naturedly, and then he sobered. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Arthur."

"Yeah, well," said the prince. "Me too."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing, right now. Keep an eye on her. Is she… enchanted?" he asked, somewhat hopefully.

Any small hopes disappeared when Merlin shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry. It's of her own free will."

"Are you  _sure_?"

Merlin looked at Arthur apologetically. "Positive."

Arthur took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, overwhelmed. He took another breath. "Okay," he said again. "I'll just have to keep an eye on things for now. I'll figure out the rest at a later time. For now, we need to get back to the castle. You have an appointment first thing tomorrow morning," he added.

Merlin did not look reassured. "With who?"

"The stocks and some baskets of vegetables," Arthur said, smirking at the look on his friend's face.

"But I helped you," Merlin pointed out. "You know about a threat-"

"Maybe so," Arthur interrupted. "But you didn't have to go about it the way you did, although I suppose I  _am_  a bit grateful that you brought this to my attention."

"A bit?!" Merlin protested, voice squeaking slightly.

Ignoring him, something that Arthur was  _very_  good at doing by now, Arthur said, "When I saw the ransom note, I promised myself that whoever had taken you would have hell to pay. And you took you. So you will have to pay."

"That's counterproductive," Merlin quickly pointed out, knowing that no amount of protesting would get him out of this one.

"Well, if you weren't such an idiot…"

Merlin and Arthur set off for the city, each one battling their own inner turmoil, but on top of Morgana's betrayal and the looming visit to the stocks, each man couldn't help but feel a ray of hope and happiness.

Merlin was safe, and Arthur was going to make sure that the idiot stayed that way, especially now that he knew that there was a real, dangerous threat out there to his servant.

And Merlin could barely contain his smile, because even though Arthur denied it, and would always deny it, he had made it crystal clear just how important his servant was to him. Merlin knew then that he wasn't just Arthur's servant, but that Arthur truly considered him a friend.

Being kidnapped by himself and being put in the stocks as a result was a small price to pay for that bit of knowledge.


End file.
